Gateway to Peace
by PixieGirl13
Summary: A year after the turning points of all the Territories, and everyone is searching for the one person who was said to prevent the Convergance. Can this poor street girl save them all? What is she not telling them?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This might be my first attempt at a Pendragon fan fiction, but trust me; I've done enough fan fics in my time. But this whole fic is not for someone who hasn't read the latest book, The Quillan Games. There are a lot of spoilers in here along with my vision of the future for our Travelers and all of Halla. So sit back and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these new worlds or characters except for my OC in this chapter. D.J. MacHale deserves full credit for them.

**Gateway to Peace**

By: Pixiegirl13

Chapter 1 Destiny Is Here

Ripping open a beef jerky stick wrapper with her teeth, Kat could hear the racing of footsteps on the stairs to her left. Her stolen midnight snack was quickly put on pause as she scrambled to her feet with a quiet swear coming from her lips. The abandoned subway station was hers. She didn't know any other bum in these streets that would fight her for the smelly, noisy place anyways. What idiot would be stupid enough to try and get it from her now?

Well, the person sure wasn't trying to sneak up on her. He was panting heavily and raced down the cement steps of the subway station taking two at a time. Kat flew to her feet and took out her knife. Preparing for a fight, Kat put her long light brown hair in a messy pony tail and crept up to the side of the steps. Just as Mr. Stupid Ambusher was in her sight, she tackled him roughly to the ground and pinned him there, her also stolen expensive knife pressed up against his neck.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you now, idiot!" she hissed down at him. In the dim light of the full moon outside shinning in, she could make out the teen's sharp features and hazel green eyes stare up at her with surprise. He was strongly built. He had to be if he wanted to steal her spot in the subway station. She was known in these parts.

"Nevva?" he asked dumbly.

"Freak!" Kat spat down at him. "I don't speak stupid. But you're a good looking stupid person, so I'm giving you a chance to plead your case. Talk."

"Yeah, not Nevva," the boy said with a frustrated sigh. He then grabbed Kat's hand with the knife and actually was able to kick her off him. Before Kat knew it, she was flying through the air and landed on the cracked tiles a few feet away from the boy. She sat up in a daze and stared at the guy with a puzzled expression planted on her face. He was stronger than she had thought.

"It seems like you have met a friend, Pendragon," another voice sounded from the steps. Kat picked herself up with an angry growl. Now there were two of them. She didn't have much of a chance now to keep her hideout. But she was going to fight till they threw her out of her home.

"Leave this person alone, Saint Dane," the boy named Pendragon said to the new arrival. The man, who Pendragon had called Saint Dane, was tall with a pointy chin. He was bald with red fire looking lines on his head. His ice cold eyes were what stood out the most, though. They cut through Kat as if she was only a measly bug. Just his one glance sent a shiver down her spine.

"Oh, but I can't do that, Pendragon, and you know it," Saint Dane said calmly down to the boy. "You do remember what I did to the other nuisance who said this was his home a few years ago. I wonder when the next train will arrive." He smiled evilly down upon both of them.

Pendragon looked uneasy as he glanced over to Kat with fear in his eyes. She stared boldly back at him and listened carefully as he retorted, "You're not after innocent street girls, Saint Dane. Leave her alone. But I guess you'll get rid of any girl sense you can't find the one you're looking for."

"You guys suck," Kat spat at both of them suddenly. They both looked her way with surprised looks on their faces. "You come down here to interrupt my midnight snack, not to steal my place, but to go have a conversation that I'm clearly NOT following! Just…get out! I'm sick of people."

"Man, I wished that worked on him," Pendragon muttered. His eyes went wide as he saw Saint Dane pull out a pistol from his jacket. Kat didn't waist time at throwing her knife at the man. Her skillful aim was dead on and managed to lodge itself in Saint Dane's wrist. Kat stood, dumbfounded, as the man didn't even flinch. He simply plucked the knife out and threw it away. He chuckled wickedly as he brought up the gun.

"Great!" Pendragon hissed sarcastically to himself. He raced to Kat's side and grabbed the girl's wrist. "Move, girl!" he yelled at her while pulling her out of the way. The bullet whizzed past her head and a giant boom echoed off the walls. Pendragon yanked her toward the tracks with determination set in his eyes. Kat decided that running from the guy with the gun was a great idea and followed Pendragon with matching speed.

"A train is coming!" she yelled at the teen. She pointed down the tracks and sure enough, the light of a subway train was heading their way. She didn't want to cross the tracks when there was a chance she would be run over by one of those things.

"It's better than getting shot down by the maniac behind us!" Pendragon yelled back at her. The whole station seemed to vibrate as the train got closer. The two jumped down into the tracks and Kat could feel her teeth rattle and her ears protest against the sound of the subway's tremendous speed.

Pendragon got to the other side of the track first. He lifted himself up and put out a hand to help Kat up. She ignored his help and lifted herself up and took off once she was on her feet. "You're welcome!" he yelled at her as he grabbed her wrist and yanked her a different way into the station. They both glanced back and saw that Saint Dane couldn't do anything to them because a whole train was speeding past him on the other side of the tracks.

"Now to get past the quigs," Pendragon said as they ran blindly into a tunnel.

"And I wish I knew what you were talking about," Kat said. "Who was Psycho dude back there? And where the heck are we going?"

"Psycho dude would be called Saint Dane," Pendragon answered over his shoulder, "But you don't have to know that. Actually, it would be smart to forget both of us after this."

"What next, Pendragon boy?" Kat asked him with a smirk, "You're going to wave your hand and say this is only a figment of my imagination and forget it, or flash me with some gadget and tell me to get a job and find a good family as I stare stupidly at you?"

Pendragon actually laughed at her sarcasm. He stopped next to a wooden door with a star symbol carved into it. He then said with a kind smile, "We part from here. I go in here, you keep going that way and you'll end up at another subway station. Sorry for interrupting your midnight snack."

Kat stared at the symbol on the door with wonderment in her green hazel eyes. It was the same one on her shoulder that had been there since her birth. She had seen that kind of simple sketch of a star many times. But what was it doing on this door in the middle of nowhere?

"I guess splitting up would be good for both our health, huh?" she said with a shrug. "You're still a freak, though."

Pendragon folded his arms and laughed again. "You don't know the half of it. Now go before Saint Dane finds us or the quigs come?"

"What are quigs? They sound like some nacho sauce or something," Kat asked. She got her answer when a giant black dog lashed out at her from somewhere in the darkness. She screamed in fright and jumped back. Pendragon swore as he saw that they were both surrounded. There was no choice. Kat had to come with him if she was going to live.

"Come with me," Pendragon said as he grabbed her again and shoved her into the room behind the door. He came in after her and they both leaned against the door as the quig dogs tried to bang it open by jumping into it. "They are going to kill me for this!" Pendragon muttered harshly to himself.

"Yeah, I guess your parents wouldn't believe you if you told them you were late to come home because of some rabid dogs and a psycho path Saint something chasing you and a slum girl," Kat said matter-of-factly.

Pendragon looked over to her with confusion. She shrugged at him and then winced as the door almost opened from a hard hit on the other side. The boy finally made up his mind about something and dragged the girl away from their spot into the middle of the dead end room.

Before Kat could ask another question, Pendragon yelled at the top of his lungs, "Denduron!"

"Dendo-what?" Kat asked as jumbled up music hit her ears. Her eyes went wide as she looked down as saw that she was floating above the ground. She screamed and wrapped her arms around Pendragon's waist in total horror. She looked up into the boy's eyes and asked seriously, "Are you Superman?"

"No," Pendragon answered. He sighed before saying, "I'm just one dead meat Traveler who is right now breaking a very big rule. Good thing the person I'm taking you to is usually calm." Kat started to hyperventilate. "Calm down, person!" Pendragon yelled at her as her heard her breathing in and out at a fast pace than normal. "This shouldn't be scary soon."

Kat screamed again as a bright light suddenly flashed down on them.

A/N: Its kind of weird taking Pendragon away from the usual first person. Oh well. The story gets better, though. The chapters might be getting longer too. If you guys want them to stay shorter, just say so. But please give a review! Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2 Delivery

A/N: Here is my update. Please review!

Disclaimer: I only own Kat.

Chapter 2 Delivery

Kat opened her eyes with a gasp of wonderment. Her breathing quickly came down to a normal speed. She smiled at the pure beauty of her surroundings. Her cheeks flushed a pinkish color as she realized she was still hanging desperately onto Pendragon. She let go of him and looked around with a wide grin on her face. She just felt so happy here…wherever here was.

She was surrounded by lit up crystals that stretched out above and below her for what seemed like eternity. They were both moving rapidly through this crystal tunnel. Kat looked outside the almost transparent crystal wall to see thousands of stars in the endless space. She looked back to Pendragon and frowned. She didn't understand why he wasn't as happy as she was. He looked deeply worried.

"You okay?" she asked.

"No!" Pendragon exploded. He pulled on his short brown hair with one hand. "I'm totally mixing the Territories! This is what we are trying to prevent! How am I going to explain this to them?"

"Oookay," Kat said while giving him a weird look. She decided to change the subject and asked, "What is this tunnel thingy?"

"No, don't talk," Pendragon told her. "I'm putting you under strict rules. You…don't say anything unless you are asked something. Better yet…act mute!" Kat pulled back from him with a freaked expression on her face. "You do whatever I or Alder tells you to, okay?"

"Who's Alder?" Kat asked.

"He is the person I'm giving you to, so you can get back to Seco- I mean Earth safely," Pendragon said.

"Why should I go by your stupid rules, Pen boy?" Kat asked as she crossed her arms.

"Because your life and many others might be on the line every time you open your mouth once we arrive," Pendragon told her seriously. "Please do what I say, whoever you are."

"Fine," Kat said with a shrug, "If it's that important to you. But please, call me Kat."

-Denduron-

Alder closed his eyes with a smile as a peaceful breeze passed over him where he was laying in the field. He put his arms behind his head with satisfaction of the wonderful spring weather around him. The tribe was going well a few miles away and none of the acolytes or Travelers had given him a message to say they were fluming to his Territory soon. Things on Denduron were going smoothly at this point.

The peacefulness didn't last long for the boy. Suddenly he heard a surprised scream and another voice shout for the screamer to calm down. He sighed in personal annoyance and sat up in the grassy field. Out of reflex, he grabbed his bow and quiver and silently made his way up the hill to the cave the voices had come from.

He recognized Pendragon's voice right away and smiled slyly. The second the other boy stepped out of the cave, Alder cocked an arrow and pulled back on the bow string. He lightly pressed the tip of the arrow on the back of Bobby's neck and whispered as darkly as he could, "You are not welcome here, Traveler." He had trouble keeping down a laugh.

After years of fighting for the sake of the Territories, the two boys had become good friends. Alder had even helped to teach Bobby to fight one time. They had been on numerous adventures together and Alder would have to say that with Bobby Pendragon around there was never a dull moment. Of course a little prank or two was sure to pop up now and then between them.

Suddenly someone jumped onto Alder's back with a loud scream. The boy's arrow shot highly into the air and he pitched forward with a yell of surprise. Gravity did its work on both of them as Alder and his attacker fell forward and started to roll down the hill together with shouts of pain. They didn't stop till they were finally close to the trees at the bottom.

Alder shot to his feet and took out the knife he had kept in his boot. He stopped when seeing his attacker struggle to her feet with groans of pain. The Traveler was a knight and had been trained since he was eight how to fight. He might not have been the most graceful warrior, but he was skilled than most. He was about to attack the girl once she pulled out her own knife, but then saw Pendragon waving his arms to stop in the corner of his eye.

"Stop, both of you!" Bobby yelled as he bounded down the hill. He stopped between the mystery girl and Alder and put his arms up to prevent the two from slicing at each other with their knives. "I came here so you could help her, Alder, not hurt her."

"She was the one who attacked," Alder said defensively. He frowned at Pendragon while asking, "Who is this, Pendragon? Is she…the one?"

"No," Bobby said with a sigh. "She's just an innocent bystander. We got into some trouble back on Earth and I had to take her through the flume or we would both get killed by quigs. So I brought her to you so while I go tell Loor about our meeting, you can return her to her Territory. Courtney didn't get a message from Loor yet."

"You're mixing the Territories, Pendragon," Alder said. "But I understand your situation." He laughed while adding, "Don't let this mess up happen again, okay. I don't like keeping secretes from the others. But why couldn't you take her back then flume to Zadaa? Why are you asking me to do it?"

"Because the flumes are acting up, now that the turning points have passed," Bobby said. "They don't send us at the right times anymore. Just let her stay here for a few hours with you then deliver her back to her Earth. I need to leave right away, though. I can't flume her all over the place. Can you just do this one thing for me?"

Alder nodded silently with a defeated sigh. Bobby gave him a relieved smile and patted him on the shoulder. "Thanks, Alder," he said. "Keep an eye on her, though. You remember how I was when I first came here."

"Oh, I remember," Alder said with a sly grin.

Bobby turned to Kat and said, "You will fine with the big tough knight, Alder, here." He patted Alder's shoulder again and added, "Stick with my rules and things should be fine. See you at the meeting, Alder." He waved to both of them before running back up the hill and to the cave. Kat watched as a bright light exploded from the mouth of the cave for a second then vanished.

"I always have to do the dirty work," Alder muttered as he crossed his arms. "It's been that way ever since the first turning point. I haven't even been to all the Territories yet!" He stopped when he noticed Kat looking up at him curiously. "Confused yet?" he asked her with a chuckle.

"Sure," she answered with a bored shrug. She put her pocket knife away and walked off with a sigh. Alder watched her with confusion. He felt some kind of connection with the girl, as if she was a fellow Traveler. He shook the feeling off and walked up beside her, trying to give her a comforting smile.

Kat was wearing her usual slum clothing. She had some torn up jeans and a dark green sleeveless top. Her tennis shoes looked like they were going to fall off her feet any second. Smudges of dirt covered her face and clothes. She definitely looked like a homeless girl.

"Are you hungry?" he asked her. He didn't like the silence between them. "I have some stew at my campsite just a little ways from here."

It was at this time that Kat examined the boy. He wasn't the most attractive guy, but he wasn't ugly. He was very tall for his age, which would be anywhere between 16 to 20 years old. He had messy dirty blonde hair and soft brown eyes that held silent knowledge in them. He was very fit with strong arm muscles she guessed from handling his bow for a long time. He almost looked like a football player from home.

The knight wasn't wearing his armor for once because he had been taking a week break from the hustle and bustle in the tribe. He had on a loose fitting tan shirt and dark green pants. His tight black leather boots came to his shins. He also wore leather fingerless gloves. It was very peasant/archer Medievalish to Kat.

"Yeah," she muttered. "I didn't get to finish my midnight snack." They walked for a little while till they found the campsite in the woods a little ways from the cave. It consisted of a small fire and a tent nearby. Kat sat on a log and sipped from a bowl of stew the knight had given her. Alder sat across from her and fidgeted with an arrow from his quiver. "So this is Denduron?" she asked once she finished her food.

Alder looked up at her with surprise. He wondered how she knew the name, but she most likely heard Pendragon shout it in the mouth of a flume and guessed it was the name of the Territory. "Yeah," he answered with a nod. "This is my home. Not the best little place, but its getting there."

Kat nodded silently. She looked up and smiled. "Three suns, huh?" she said. "I'm definitely not on earth anymore." She added bitterly, "Funny how things can change so quickly."

Alder stared at her before saying quietly, "Yeah. Life tends to do that."

Kat laughed suddenly and it made Alder jump with surprise. He gave her a confused look. "This is kind of exciting, though," she said. "Are there other worlds other than earth? Could I see them?"

"Um…no," Alder said after getting over her weirdness. "That would be against the rules. You belong on whatever Earth you came from."

_Fume!_

An invisible wave suddenly smashed into the two teens. With yells of surprise the two flew into the air and landed on each other a few yards from Alder's campsite. Dust hovered in the air and both started to cough their lungs out as they picked themselves up from the ground.

"What the heck was that!" Kat yelled to Alder. Her ears were ringing profusely from the loud sound.

"I don't know!" Alder coughed back.

The dust cleared and Kat saw Alder stiffen as he looked toward the hill. She turned around and saw her. A girl in maybe her mid twenties stood there with a pistol looking thing in her hand. She had a wicked smile on her face as she aimed her weapon at them again.

"Move!" Alder yelled at Kat while shoving out of the way of fire. The loud explosion sounded again and Kat heard a yell escape from Alder as he was violently flung into a tree. Kat screamed in fear that he was killed. She ran to the campsite and grabbed Alder's bow, quiver, and sword in its scabbard. She glared at the lady a few yards away while muttering a curse under her breath.

Alder clumsily stumbled up next to her and grabbed the bow and quiver from her. "Run to the cave," he whispered to her. "Don't do anything till I get there."

"It's the 21st Century, dude," Kat growled back at him. "Girl's fight too." She pulled out her knife to prove her point.

"Not in Denduron," Alder spat back. He told her firmly, "Go to the cave. Now."

Alder was surprised at even himself for being so stubborn for once. Kat didn't argue anymore and finally ran off into the woods. Alder cocked an arrow and pulled back the bow string with his eyes set only on the girl with the gun. "What do you want, Nevva?" he asked her. "This Territory might be a haven for Travelers on their search, but not for the likes of you." He had encountered this girl a few times through the Traveler's quest to save Halla. At least she hadn't tried to fool him with a disguise.

"I don't want you, inept knight, or any other Traveler who might be staying on this piece of dirt that shouldn't even be called a Territory," Nevva scoffed at him. "I want the girl."

Alder tried not to show his confusion. "You'll have to get through me, first," he told her boldly.

"No problem," Nevva said with a confident smile. "It's only one less Traveler."


	3. Chapter 3 Urgent Message

A/N: Yeah, no reviews, which I'm not surprised over because there are not very many Pendragon fans out there. But if you want to see more of this fic, I'll need at least one review per chapter. If no one cares, I'm taking it off this site. I already have it on a forum. Here is your update!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for Kat.

Chapter 3 Urgent Message

Alder let loose his arrow. He smiled slightly when hearing Nevva yell as the sharp arrow struck her deep in the chest. She growled in anger and pulled it out with the hand not holding her gun. By this time Alder was already running into the woods. Nevva took off after him while shooting randomly around her. Trees bent and broke as the invisible force smashed into them.

The knight skidded to a stop behind a wider tree. He gasped for air as he took off his glove to show his Traveler ring. He always kept slips of paper in his boot with the knife just incase he got into trouble like this one. But it was now that he realized he didn't have any ink to write with. He cursed his shallow thinking.

Suddenly an idea hit him. He grabbed a twig and rammed it into the muddy ground a few times. He used the mud and dirt as his ink as he wrote a short message in almost illegible handwriting on the parchment paper. He took off his ring and gasped when the tree next to him fell over and landed only inches away. Nevva was getting close.

"Third Earth," he whispered to his ring before placing it on the ground. It grew in size and the usual musical notes softly drifted to his ears. Without hesitation, Alder threw the note into the black hole the ring had created. Once the thing was normal size, Alder shoved it back onto his finger and put his glove back on quickly.

"There you are," Nevva seethed as she finally spotted him. Before she could fire, Alder had already notched an arrow and had it flying towards her. He had practiced a lot with his bow while hanging out on his Territory. He was like the Robin Hood of Denduron now.

Alder didn't stick around to see if he had missed or not. With a panicked look in his eyes, he cumbersomely stumbled away from the girl and started the long sprint to the cave on top of the hill. He ducked as he heard Nevva fire at him again. Debris flew into him from behind, but he had been out of range thankfully.

As he ran, Alder notched another arrow and aimed at Nevva as he kept sprinting up the hill. This time he wasn't fast enough with his aim and she shot at him before he could. He gave a sharp cry as the invisible wave crashed into him and he flew high into the air. He landed roughly close to the cave and winced as the wrist he had landed on shot needles of pain up his arm.

Nevva stood over Alder with a frown on her face. She set her dado gun to stun as Alder desperately tried to get to his feet. She chuckled bitterly at him while saying, "I guess this was the way it was meant to be, knight." He frowned up at her silently.

"Guess again!" Kat yelled as she threw her last pocket knife at Nevva with a battle yell. Just like the time with Saint Dane, her aim proved true as the knife punctured the girl's hand with the gun. Nevva gave a yell of surprise as her weapon flew from her hand from the impact and tumbled effortlessly down the hill.

"I guess it wasn't, Nevva," Alder said with a smile. Kat helped him to his feet and they both ran into the cave. Nevva frowned as her defeat bruised her high pride. Alder and Kat stood in the mouth of the flume and the boy yelled up, "Third Earth!"

Nevva watched with a scowl as the bright light took them. She retrieved her weapon and walked back to the flume. Her hand the knife had gone through was healed, but for some reason it still stung every time she moved it. She growled with annoyance.

But Nevva wasn't going to underestimate the two again. They had gone to Third Earth for help from other Travelers there. She would just have to make a quick detour before she flumed off to Third Earth. Her usual evil smirk crawled back onto her lips as she looked up into the flume.

"Quillan!" she shouted.

-Third Earth-

"Keep moving!" Alder snapped at Kat as he pulled her along with his good hand. He had only been to this Territory a few times, but he knew two Travelers here would help them big time at the moment. Kat kept looking around with wide eyes of wonderment. This seemed to be her future planet.

"What year is this!" she asked him as they got out of the tracks and into the subway station. The few people there that late night was giving the pair questionable looks. Alder knew they didn't have time to change clothes in the flume. Nevva would be coming after them once she got her gun back. So now they were sticking out like a sore thumb.

"Never mind that," Alder said. "We need to keep moving, Kat. My friends are going to meet us on the surface." She gave him a confused look, but followed right behind him while still looking around. They quickly made it to the surface by a few escalators. A full moon and sky full of twinkling stars welcomed the two as they made it to the top.

"Whoa! This can't be New York!" Kat said with a laugh. "This is awesome! What happened to the whole flipping city that used to be here?" she asked Alder. But the boy wasn't paying attention to her. He walked up and down the empty paved street with a frantic look on his face.

"Here they come!" he yelled with relief in his voice. Kat saw the headlights of a small car quickly driving up to them on the street. She looked around to see only darkened grassy hills. No one was up there with them. Suddenly Kat felt vulnerable. If that lady with the gun caught them up here they would have no where to go. She shivered as a cold breeze swept over them.

"Are you okay?" Alder asked her, noticing her shiver. "Were you hurt?"

"No," Kat said quietly while shaking her head. "I just want to go back down."

"They will be here soon," Alder reassured her. She only nodded silently. For some reason she just had this urge to go back underground. She tried to shake off her feeling as the car pulled up. Two people were already in it. One was older than her, maybe in his late 20's. The other was around her age and was smiling wide at both of them.

"Hobey-ho, mates!" the younger one said with a wave. "We could barely understand that message of yours, Alder. We decided it was urgent."

"It was," Alder said. He motioned for Kat to get in before him. She hopped into the back seat as he said to the one driving, "And it still is. Nevva is after us." The two in the front exchanged worried glances before the driver took off down the street. The urge to go underground quickly left Kat as she looked around, pushing the hair out of her face as the convertible blew air around her head.

"So who is this?" the driver asked Alder, giving the teen a stern look. "She doesn't look like she is from Denduron. Is she the one we are looking for?"

"Sadly, no," Alder said. He sighed in frustration before telling the two Pendragon and his secrete about her. He explained everything with Nevva and also his confusion as to why the girl would want Kat. The others were just as confused.

"We just got ourselves in another tum tigger," the young one who they called Spader said with a sigh. "We need to find this person the Creators told us to find. What is the girl we need doing anyways, hiding from us?" Kat bit her lower lip and tried not to squirm in her seat when she heard this. Good thing the others weren't paying much attention to her. What they didn't know wouldn't hurt them.

"Hey, Alder, you okay?" the one called Patrick asked Alder, noticing the boy holding his wrist. "I have a medical pack in my glove compartment if you need it."

"Thanks," Alder muttered. He smiled slightly to Spader as he handed the pack to him. "What is this stuff?" he finally asked in his utter confusion. Kat looked into the box and smiled at his perplexed expression.

"Let me help you," she told him. He let her take the medical kit. She mulled through it, finally taking out some tape. "It seems like it is only a sprain," she told Alder. "You just need to wrap it up and avoid using it too much." She handed him the tape and he nodded with a silent thanks. She just smiled sweetly back at him.

"Um, mates, we have trouble," Spader said as he looked into the review mirror on his side. At once everyone looked behind the car and frowned at the sight. A surface transportation truck was quickly gaining ground on them. They could make out Nevva standing on the roof of the truck with three other people (these are really dados) with her. All were holding the same kind of gun she had in her hand.

Patrick sped up, but the truck was still faster than them. The four waited with dread as the truck started to pull up beside their little convertible car. At this speed, the air blasted against their bodies. Spader stood up on his seat along with Alder. Kat realized they were going to jump onto the truck. She wished she had a knife, but she stood up with them anyways.

"Give me the girl!" Nevva yelled down at them over the wind.

"Not a chance, Nevva!" Spader yelled back up. For once he wasn't smiling.

"What do you want with her?" Alder asked.

Nevva ignored his question as she aimed her gun at them. "This time, knight, you won't get so lucky," she finally said. She smiled at them and pulled the trigger.

A/N: Please review!


	4. Chapter 4 Speeding Battle

A/N: Here is the next chapter. Please R&R!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. D.J. does!

Chapter 4 Speeding Battle

Patrick lifted his foot off the gas pedal suddenly to dodge the blast of Nevva's gun. The car lurched under the teens standing in their seats. Kat gave a surprised yell and fell back into her seat. Spader and Alder smoothly kept their balance. Before Nevva could shoot at them again, Alder had the thing flying in the air from another arrow of his.

"Nice shot, mate!" Spader said back to him with a smile. They both nodded to each other and jumped in union onto the truck now beside them. All Travelers had learned from experience that having a weapon on them nowadays was the smartest thing to have. It might not have really mattered in the old "Turning Point" days, as they called it. But the physical danger to a Traveler's life had increased since then.

Spader was equipped with a modern Third Earth weapon that the Territory sold legally. First and Second Earth guns had been banded and had been replaced by guns that only did little damage. So Spader had to take the next best thing, a dagger. On his home Territory, it was pretty much a law for him to have one because of his job. He never had thought he would have tone his skills with it one day.

"I'll take the ugly one," Spader told Alder while slipping the dagger out of its sheath on his thigh. The other boy smiled and took out his sword from his belt. Both silver blades glowed as the moon light reflected off the weapons. The two Travelers got into their fighting stances and glared at Nevva and her three Dados.

"You can have Nevva," Alder came back quickly. "I'll take on the Dados."

Nevva frowned at the joke. This only made Spader laugh. Without another word, the two teams advanced toward each other. Right away the odds were uneven. The Dados armor was only scratched from Alder's blade, but at least he had knocked the guns out of their hands. Spader didn't even have a chance at Nevva.

Spader expertly swung his dagger at Nevva, but she was too advanced for him. Using her training from Saint Dane, she sped up her movements for a few seconds. She ducked, and as his blade was still swinging in slow motion above her head, she elbowed the teen in the stomach.

With a yell of pain and surprise, Spader flew into the air from the force of her move. Fear swept over him as he realized he was falling over the edge of the truck. Patrick had been silently observing the battle next to him and had predicted her move.

"I got you, kid," he whispered, letting off the gas for a second and swerving behind the truck just in time. Kat gave a scream of fright as Spader landed roughly into the seat next to her with a moan. "Way to go, Mr. Confident," Patrick muttered back at Spader.

Spader winced while sitting up. "That girl is faster than light," he said, rubbing his pounding head.

"She is using her Traveler powers on you, Spader," Patrick told him. "You know them, so you should anticipate them from her. She barely has any fighting skills, use that to your advantage."

"I know, I know!" Spader snapped back. He narrowed his eyes angrily and jumped back onto the truck once they pulled up next to it again.

"Touchy," Patrick muttered as he watched Spader go. "He's going to get himself killed if he doesn't listen to someone once in a while."

Kat watched as Spader and Nevva went at each other again. She caught glimpses of Alder as he fought on the other side of them. They fought like experienced warriors. Kat was amazed by their skills, but she knew that wasn't the thing that was going to win them this battle.

"Couldn't we just take out the person driving that truck?" she asked Patrick suddenly.

The man glanced back at her, as if suddenly realizing she was there. "I can't do anything while driving," he said to her behind his shoulder.

"You must have a weapon of your own," Kat said. "I could take the dude out. Spader and Alder don't look too hot up there right now. This fight needs to end soon."

"You're speaking the truth, girl, but I didn't think we would run into this and left my weapon at home," Patrick said. "All you have is Alder's bow and arrows. And if you have no experience in one of those, I'm telling you right now not to use it."

"I didn't pay for a year's worth of practices on archery for nothing," Kat muttered under her breath so Patrick couldn't hear her. She grabbed the bow and quiver and hopped into the seat next to his. He looked over to her with surprise. She quickly said, "I um…did this at camp once." He nodded and then focused his attention back to the road.

Patrick sped up the car a little so that Kat could get a good shot at the window of the truck. A Dado was in the driver's seat and was steering the truck. It didn't even look over to her as Kat notched an arrow and drew back on the string. She might not have been as quick as Alder, but her aim was just as great as his.

Alder hung onto the side of the truck for support as he stood back up after a hard blow he had received from one of the Dados. He noticed that Spader and Nevva's fight was going down hill. He was panting heavily, his sprained wrist was shooting waves of pain up his arm, and he could barely see anything because of the wind blasting into his face. But he firmly held his ground and swung his way back into the fight.

Just as Alder was hitting a Dado with his sword, the truck swerved suddenly into the other lane. This made everyone on top lose their balance. Spader was able to stay on top, but Nevva, Alder, and the Dados took a dive. The two humans caught onto the side of the truck just in time, though. The human like robots crashed onto the speeding cement below them, sending debris flying everywhere.

"Hobey! What was that?" Spader yelled above the wind.

"I don't know!" Alder yelled back. "But I could use some help getting up!" Spader ran over to him and lifted the teen back onto the roof of the truck. "I lost my sword!" Alder said angrily once his feet was back on solid ground.

"You can get another one after this, mate," Spader told him reassuringly. Alder only nodded, but it still wouldn't be the same. His older brother, the last Denduron Traveler, had given him that sword a few years ago before he died. Alder tried to hide the sadness on his face from Spader.

Nevva was still hanging onto the side. She grunted in frustration and glanced down to see Patrick and Kat in the car below her. She smiled while dropping down into the backseat. Patrick saw her in his rearview mirror and gasped in surprise. Kat took her attention off her job of shooting the Dado again and onto Nevva.

"Duck," Patrick said to Kat. The girl hit the floor, hoping that Patrick knew what he was doing. Nevva lunged toward her and managed to grab the back of Kat's shirt. Patrick swerved toward the truck. The bottom of the truck whacked right into Nevva's head as the car went right under the moving machine. She slumped over the side of the car with a cry of pain, half conscious.

"That was close," Kat pointed out as Patrick moved the car out from under the truck. "You're a pretty good driver," she told Patrick with a wide grin.

He chuckled while blushing nervously and said, "That was my first time."

"In coming!" Spader suddenly yelled while jumping down to them in a flying kick. His heel collided with Nevva's head and forced her over the edge. She gave a loud cry of pain and defeat as her body violently made contact with the ground. "Maybe next time, Nevva!" Spader yelled back at her with a confident laugh.

"Make room for Alder, Spader," Patrick told the teen. Spader stood to the side as Alder jumped down beside him silently. He tripped on something and went down to the floor of the car with a loud thump. "You okay?" Patrick asked him with a small laugh.

"Boy, you're a klutz," Spader said to him jokingly while sitting down.

Alder glared at him while sitting up and rubbing his head. Kat quietly gave him back his bow and quiver, blushing slightly wish embarrassment for taking his things without permission. "I'm fine," Alder muttered. He notched an arrow and spun around, drawing the string at the same time. Everyone watched as the arrow punctured a tire on the truck and sent it spinning then flipping out of control.

-Few Hours Later-

Kat looked up as the door to the guest room she was in opened. She was sitting on the only bed in the room, reading a book on a little slate that was really a computer monitor. She exited out of the chapter and turned off the little computer-like gadget Patrick had let her barrow to keep her occupied.

"You don't look very happy," she stated to Alder who had came in.

The boy glared at her while snapping back, "You notice a lot." He opened up a closet and looked up in it with confusion. He finally found what he was looking for and pulled it off the top shelve with ease because of his height. Kat watched him with a small frown as he took out the white pad and laid it down on the floor beside her bed.

"What were you and the others talking about for so long?" she asked finally.

"Nothing that should concern you," Alder answered, trying to keep himself from sounding angry.

"Well, it does concern me," Kat said while lying back on the extra fluffy pillows on her bed. "You guys were talking about me and I would like to know what you are going to do with me. Are you going to take me back to my Earth?"

Alder glanced up at her, pondering the thought of telling her everything he had discussed with Spader and Patrick just a few minutes ago. He finally thought better of it and looked back down at the mat. He pressed a few buttons on the end, and the thing suddenly hovered two inches off the floor with a small hum.

"Man, that's cool!" Kat said as she saw the thing levitate. "In my time, that could only be done in science fiction novels and movies."

Alder looked up at her again. They made eye contact, and she smiled innocently back at him. "They have assigned me to you as something like a body guard," he finally said after a pause. He laid down on his floating mat with a tiered sigh and continued. "We are going to another place tomorrow by ourselves so we can hide from Saint Dane and Nevva till the meeting coming up soon. We don't know why Nevva wanted you, but we want to keep you around for a while to see why."

"Don't I get any say in this?" she asked. Alder glanced up at her with a raised eyebrow. "I mean, don't I get a choice to go back to my home planet?"

"Bring it up with Patrick in the morning," Alder finally said after a long silence.

"You're still mad," Kat said.

"I'm not mad," Alder said with fake calmness, "I'm just…a bit frustrated."

"Why?" Kat asked.

"No offense, but I don't want to be your body guard for the next week on Cloral," Alder said after a sigh.

"None taken," Kat said. "But what's so bad about guarding me? I mean, you get to hang out with _me_!"

Alder chuckled quietly before saying, "I was hoping to join in on the search and let Spader take you to his home Territory for once."

"Search for what?" Kat asked.

"I…can't tell you that," Alder said. "I've already told you a little too much."

"That's no fun," Kat muttered. "But what's it worth, I would rather have you as my body guard than Spader," she said quietly.

"Why?" Alder asked.

"He might be good looking and everything, but he's either too happy or too angry," Kat said loudly now. Her bold voice and random mood swing raised another eyebrow of his. "I've been with that guy for at least three hours and I've only seen those two emotions. I go for the more multi emotional guys who are more serious and quiet." She looked down at him and added with a wide grin, "Like you!"

Alder's cheeks flushed red at this statement. He stared back at her with surprise on his face, trying to understand the meaning of her last sentence and if she was hinting at something or just being goofy. Kat finally burst out in giggles at his strange expression. He sighed with annoyance and let her go.

"I'm just messing with you," she told him.

He smiled up at her and shook his head saying, "You're the weirdest girl I've ever met."

"Why, thank you," she said with another giggle. "I do my best."

Alder finally laughed at her strangeness. For another whole hour the two talked to each other about random things from pet peeves to favorite food. Kat could keep the conversation going for hours it seemed. Alder hadn't felt that open or connected to someone since before his older brother died. Of course he had many good conversations with his fellow Travelers, but Kat was different than them. He had never had a one on one good conversation with someone who hadn't been a Traveler for years. It was refreshing for him. He now didn't mind being her body guard. She would be fun to be with for a whole week.

Finally the two decided to shut down for the night. They had a big day the next day and they needed rest. Very quickly Alder fell asleep. Kat kept awake and listened to her room mate's quiet snore beside her as she stared silently up at the ceiling. A worried frown crossed her features as a knot of guilt formed in her stomach. She then finally went to sleep after tossing and turning for another full hour.

A/N: I hope the first part had enough action for you guys. Please review!


	5. Chapter 5 Cave of Light

A/N: Sorry for the two weeks of writer's block. I finally sat down and wrote through it. I'm actually very proud of this chapter. It is very exciting because the plot cooks up after this chapter. Read, enjoy, but most importantly...review!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters or settings.

Chapter 5 Cave of Light

Kat woke up at seven in the morning. She groaned because she wasn't a very good morning person. She sat up with a scowl on her face and looked down to where Alder had been sleeping next to her. His mat was gone and there was no trace of him.

Putting her hair back up in a messy ponytail, Kat stood up and grabbed her shoes with a yawn. While still moving, she managed to slip the things on, hopping ungracefully a few times and almost falling over. She walked into the living room of Patrick's small apartment and saw Patrick cooking something in the kitchen that was open to the room she was in.

Spader was snoring loudly on the couch, not even hearing the clatter of pots and pans behind him. Kat wondered how he could sleep so soundly like that as she passed him and moved to the kitchen. Alder was sitting in one of the bar stools there, drinking some orange juice.

"Does my future still have bacon and eggs in the morning?" Kat asked Patrick as she sat beside Alder on a stool. Patrick smiled at her while pouring a glass of juice for his new arrival.

"Some things never change," Patrick told her. He cracked a few eggs on the side of a pan and said, "Now, which Earth do you come from, Kat?"

Kat shrugged. "How many are there?"

"Wait, did Pendragon ever tell you which Earth she was from?" he asked Alder.

Alder was in mid sip as he was asked this question. He stopped and put the glass down, trying to remember if Bobby had told him or not. "I don't think he did," Alder finally said.

"That's Pendragon for you," Spader suddenly chimed in. He sat next to Kat and thanked Patrick as the man poured him a glass. "He most likely didn't want Kat to figure anything else out about the Territories, so he kept his mouth shut about the three Earths."

"Well, now she knows," Patrick said. He served them all their eggs and bacon and then sat down on the counter and ate his own breakfast. "Alder told me you want to go back to your Earth," he said to Kat once he was done.

"No, I don't want to," Kat said. Everyone gave her confused looks and she explained herself. "I just wondered if I had choice. I mean, if I want to back out, I want to have a choice to do so."

"We're not just throwing you into danger for the fun of it," Patrick said. "Everything will be fine."

-Hour Later-

"Anything I need to know before we fly off to some other world?" Kat asked Alder where they were standing in front of the flume. "What is the next place like?"

"Well, do you like to swim?" Alder asked her.

"Sure," Kat said with a shrug.

"This world is covered with water," Alder said.

"Good thing I've scuba dived," Kat muttered to herself. Alder didn't know what scuba diving was and shrugged it off as some Earth thing. He led her to the mouth of the flume and smiled faintly at her. He motioned for her to follow. She slowly walked up next to him while having a pulling feeling. She finally shrugged it off and stood next to Alder with a perky smile.

"Cloral!" Alder called out. Kat gave a whoop as she watched the ground leave her. It was the total opposite reaction to her first flume trip. She felt the warm, happy feeling of the flume and didn't speak till the very end of the trip. Alder watched her with curiousness. It was weird how happy she looked during a flume ride.

"Hang on! This part gets rough because it's kind of broken," Alder told Kat. The girl's happiness ended as they were slightly thrown off course and almost rammed into the crystal wall. Then the musical notes captured her and gravity settled in. The ride was over…and she was falling into a pool of water.

With a loud scream of surprise, Kat fell all the way into the water with a loud, ungraceful splash. By the time she pushed her way to the surface, Alder was already on the side and trying not to laugh at her. "Lovely landing," he told her.

Kat spat water at him with a frown. "Shoot! I lost my shoe!" she said. She swam up to where he was sitting and looked around. "If it wasn't for the rude drop, this place would feel sweeter to me," she said. "And you didn't want to come here because…?"

Alder shrugged. "It's nice, isn't it?"

"Heck, yeah!" Alder smiled at her answer. Everything about her was loud or bold. Girls back where he came from were nothing like her. Just watching Kat was an experience.

It didn't take long for the two to get dressed in their new Cloral clothes. Kat was just itching to start moving. That pull on her was there again. She just wanted to get rid of it. Alder explained the air globes and belts to her, and soon they were diving into the water again.

They silently swam deep into the cave. Suddenly Kat spotted another small hole in the side of the cave rocks surrounding them. She swam up to it and felt the pull on her stronger. She entered the hole with a sigh. She knew she was crazy. Some animal could be living there, but by now she couldn't resist the pull.

"What are you doing, Kat?" Alder called after her. Kat didn't answer because she had none. Alder rolled his eyes in frustration before following her. It was finally dawning on him that guarding Kat would be harder than he thought.

It was pitch-black in the small tunnel they were now in. They swam for maybe ten minutes till a light showed up above. Kat was now rushing toward the light. Alder was out of breath just following the girl.

Kat got out of the water and yanked off her air globe. Alder came up after her and stopped dead in his tracks with eyes widening. The pull to Kat's mind and body hit a high and she could literally feel her body gravitate toward the light in the middle of the small room they found themselves in.

"Holly…!" Alder couldn't finish his sentence as he saw Kat slowly walk over to the light floating in the air. He pulled himself out of the water and held his breath as Kat reached up with her hand and touched the light. "Look!" he whispered loudly to her while pointing to a star suddenly being carved into the stone wall. It was the same star on every flume door.

Kat slowly walked over to the wall and looked at the symbol that was the same as the one on her shoulder. _He_ had told her she was meant to do this, and she didn't want to for years, but still trained for this. But at this very moment, she actually wanted to do what she was born to do. Fear was washed away as she raised her hand up to the star on the wall.

"Stop!"

Kat was shaken out of her trance and looked over her shoulder with surprise. Alder gave a small gasp and raised the dagger sheathed at his side out of reflex. Wu Yenza stood there with a pistol in her hands. Her eyes were narrowed at Kat as her gun aimed in the same direction.

"You scared us," Alder said while putting his dagger away with a tired sigh. He should have seen her come up. He had been so transfixed on Kat and what she was doing to notice Yenza.

"Do not touch that star, girl," Yenza snapped sharply at Kat.

"Why not?" both Alder and Kat asked at once. Suspicion clouded Alder's eyes as he slowly started to take out his dagger again. He didn't know Yenza enough to know for sure if this one was really her or not.

"Touching that star could destroy this whole Territory," Yenza answered, still aiming her pistol at Kat.

"How do you know that?" Alder asked her. "And watch where you're aiming that thing." He tapped the pistol with his knife to knock it away from Kat.

Suddenly Yenza rammed into Alder and pinned him against the wall. "Drop the dagger, knight!" she demanded while pressing the barrel on his forehead. "Now!" Alder growled in disgust while dropping his weapon reluctantly.

"What is going on?" Kat asked with fright in her voice. She had her back pressed against the other wall as she stared at Alder and Yenza with wide eyes.

"She's Nevva, Kat!" Alder shouted to her.

"A little late, aren't you?" Yenza/Nevva said with a laugh. In seconds, she was back to her normal form and smiling evilly at Alder. She turned her head to Kat to demand something. The blood in her veins ran cold as she saw the girl's hand hovering right over the star on the wall. "Don't even dare!" she seethed.

"Too late," Kat said with a smirk. She pressed her hand on the star. A bright light exploded into the cavern. The three squeezed their eyes shut tightly and raised their arms up to protect their eyes. The same kind of mixed up musical notes blasted into their ears, so they all had to put their fingers in them.

Alder fought against the blinding light and noise to find Kat. She was passed out on the floor. Using adrenaline as an extra boost, Alder carried Kat to the exit and put an air globe on her and himself before dropping Kat in the water then going in. Nevva was still in the room as Alder quickly pulled Kat back through the tunnel. It took at lot of strength to finally get Kat back to the flume.

"We're getting out of here!" he told the unconscious Kat as he took their air globes off. "Zadaa!" he shouted at the flume. He clung onto Kat as they raised high into the air. Water sprinkled off them and dropped into the pool below them.

The two arrived at Zadaa in one wet mess. Alder didn't have enough strength to carry her up the ladder. He collapsed against the dirt wall, breathing deeply. Kat was laid out on her side in front of him, still out cold for some reason. Alder was no doctor, so he didn't know how to help her except put her on her side.

"What just happened?"


	6. Chapter 6 Past Revealed

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. I had a slight writer's block for a few days. This chapter you finally get to know Kat's past. I hope you guys like it. Please review!

Disclaimer: I only own Kat. Everything and everyone else is not mine.

Chapter 6 Past Revealed

Pendragon stared silently into the flames sparking in the fire place in Loor's home. Loor and Saangi were sleeping soundly in the other room. Being the insomniac he was Bobby was up at two in the morning in deep thought.

They were taking too long to find the girl they needed to help stop of the Convergence. The teen quickly went over what the Creators had told him when all the turning points had passed. They had told him a prophecy of a girl being born into a rich family. She would be skilled and would know how to seal a Territory. The last tip they had given Bobby was that she was on one of the three Earths.

But the search was becoming futile and frustrating. There were millions of rich families on the Earths. Even with most of the Travelers and some of their acolytes searching for this girl, they were getting no where. A year had passed since then and no one had come close. The Convergence was quickly coming up fast and they had no one to save the Territories. Were all their efforts for nothing?

A loud knock on the wooden door jolted Pendragon out of his train of thought. He gave a small gasp and sprung to his feet while grabbing his staff. He swiftly made it to the door and asked suspiciously, "Who is it?"

"It's me, Alder! Open the door!"

"How do I know if it's you or Saint Dane or someone?" Bobby asked.

"Pendragon, please, she's unconscious and I don't know what to do," Alder said on the other side, breathless. "Just trust me!"

"Who's unconscious?" Bobby asked while cracking the door open a little. This was all Alder needed. He barged in with Kat's body in his arms. "Holy crap! Is she who I think she is? I told you to take her back to her Earth!"

"Our plans were rudely disrupted the second you left," Alder said while carefully putting Kat down next to the fire. Pendragon looked over her with his eyes wide. There wasn't a scratch to be seen. She only looked like she was sleeping.

"What is going on!" Bobby asked, confusion running deep in his voice.

"Pendragon, you won't believe it!" Alder said to him with a bright smile. "She's the one we were looking for! She is our gateway to peace!"

"Whoa! Back up. Rewind for a sec," Pendragon said while rubbing his forehead. "Let me ask you this one more time, Alder. What the hell is going on?"

"Who is this?" Loor asked while she and Saangi entered the room. The boys looked over to them with surprise. Loor folded her arms in front of her and narrowed her black eyes on Bobby.

"Let me explain," Alder said quickly before anyone else could speak.

"Yes, do that," Bobby said with a nod.

So for the next hour Alder told his story about what had happened to him and Kat for the past day and a half. The others stared intently at him as he told them about Kat actually sealing the Territory of Cloral. Pendragon then had to tell them his story about finding her in the slums of New York on Second Earth. Loor wasn't too pleased with his action and went on a rant about the rules of the Travelers, which Pendragon took in with a sigh.

"I didn't think she was the one because she was in the slums," Bobby said. He stared at Kat in deep thought.

"Maybe she used to be rich," Saangi suggested.

"But why wouldn't she tell us she was the Chosen one?" Pendragon asked. "A lot of Territories could be safe and sealed by now if she had told me this back at the subway station."

"And why did she pass out when sealing Cloral?" Alder asked. "The prophecy said she would have enough energy to seal a Territory."

"Yes, but not on her own," Bobby answered. "Spader should have been there with her. The Traveler from that Territory needs to be there for the sealing or it will have this effect on both Kat and the Traveler."

"Spader is most likely in the same state as Kat right now," Loor said.

"They'll be okay, right?" Alder asked.

Bobby smiled slyly while leaning back. "They are fine. Spader might not be too happy when he wakes up from his healing coma, but besides that, I wouldn't worry too much."

"I fail to see any humor in this, Pendragon," Loor sharply told him. The boy's smile dropped right away and it was now Alder and Saangi's turn to smile. "We need to know why she lied to us. The Creators did not tell us that she would be so deceiving."

"She never lied," Pendragon pointed out, "She just never told us she was the one."

"Maybe she is just a scared little girl," Saangi said bitterly. "She does not want to become the one to save us."

"Why else would she keep this away from us?" Pendragon asked with a deep sigh. "And who would willing be a Traveler for that matter?" He stared at the ground and added emotionlessly, "I don't blame her."

"I do not mind being a Traveler," Loor said boldly. Saangi nodded to agree with her. Even though she was only an acolyte, the girl had seen as much danger as any other Traveler.

Bobby and Alder glanced at each other with knowing smiles. Of course the two girls didn't mind. They were raised to kick butt since they were born. Alder had too, but it wasn't exactly in his blood. And let's face it, Bobby didn't have one ounce of bravery in his body before being forced into Traveler-hood. As the years went by, all the Travelers had accepted their fate and didn't complain about their profession in life. But if some of them were given the choice, many wouldn't have raised their hand to be picked.

"What is going on?" Kat suddenly asked. She shot to her feet and backed away from everyone, in full panic mode. "Where am I? This isn't sea world!" Her last line actually got a laugh out of Pendragon. His laugh brought Kat's attention on him. It took her a second to remember him. She then saw Alder and calmed down.

"You passed out," Alder told her. "I brought you here to Pendragon. We aren't on Cloral anymore, Kat."

Kat frowned, trying to compute what had just happened. She was still in a panicked daze. Finally she calmed herself with a worried sigh. She sunk to her knees and stared at the floor. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I should have told you I was the one you were looking for."

"We are just wondering why you didn't tell us," Pendragon said softly.

"When I was young, a man came to our mansion and told me I would save a lot of people one day," Kat said with no emotion to her voice. "He told me to prepare for the right time. He told me to train and soon everything would come clear to me."

Tears flooded her hazel eyes. She gritted her teeth as memories came back to her. "At the time I was excited to help others. I considered myself a superhero of some kind. I asked my rich parents for lessons for everything from physical combat to more subjects in school. I wanted to be the best!"

"What happened?" Loor asked softly. This caught everyone else off guard. Usually she was unemotional and stern. But the subject was hitting home to the warrior girl. Loor could relate a little to what Kat was saying.

"It all came crashing down," Kat said with a small sob. "When I was 14 my world started to change. I started to get visions in my dreams telling me what I should do. They taught me how to seal what you guys call Territories. The visions sometimes told me to do better mentally or physically in my training or actually what to train for. Then just a year ago, a vision told me to leave my family. It was the first time I didn't obey it. I refused to leave my parents and siblings.

"So then they were yanked away from me. A week after that vision, I was at a late night hunting thing with some people. Hunting was one of the skills my visions told me to do. But as I was dropped off at my house in Beverly Hills, and as I was walking up my driveway, my mansion exploded."

"Whoa! You must mean your house caught on fire. It couldn't have just exploded," Bobby said. He had actually seen the footage of that one mansion burned to the ground. They had said everyone in the house had died. "The news…"

"The news lied," Kat hissed back. "The truth is that the house exploded. It knocked me out and when I woke up a saw _him_."

"Who?" everyone in the room asked, caught up in the girl's story.

"A man was standing in the flames of what used to be my house," Kat said. "I couldn't make him out through the fire and smoke, but I know it was him who did that to my family. All I really remember of him is that he had the evilest smile on his face as he looked me right in the eyes. And his eyes were cold. Like…"

"Saint Dane's," Bobby answered for her bitterly. Everyone else nodded. They knew the guy all too well. It was now no surprise to them that Saint Dane had done that to her.

"After that I went into shock and insanity for a few months," Kat said, shaking her head. "Everything I had ever known had been wiped away. I was scared to restart, so I ran. I spent so much time training I hadn't developed close enough friends, so I lived as a homeless person after the explosion. I got drunk a lot of nights and became a druggie. I didn't want to train anymore. I didn't want anymore visions. I didn't want to save anyone. I had quit.

"It was just two months ago that I hit rock bottom," Kat continued. "I had moved to New York because staying anywhere near Beverly Hills would bring up memories I didn't want. I had no money left for drugs. I had nothing and I was nothing. I couldn't even walk a block to the soup kitchen. It was then that I suddenly had another vision. It told me to carry on and all would be well.

"I remember sitting there in that alley one day in the pouring rain. I was wet, starved, bitter, weak, and pretty much the most pathetic thing you have ever seen. It was then that I thought I could only go up. It was either get up and move on or die there. It was the hardest thing to do in my life, but I got to my feet and slowly walked away.

"I found an abandoned subway station that day," Kat finished up. "I started to work at random places for money, stole some food, or ate at a soup kitchen in the morning to survive. I fended off my small home with my years of training. But I didn't get involved in a gang or communicated with anyone unless I had to. I would be ready when the day came to save these people, but I wasn't going to risk the lives of anymore loved ones in my life.

"That was why I didn't tell you I was the chosen one. I was afraid I would become attached to you guys and then have to see you all die! But it didn't work! I still became friends with someone even though I didn't want to. I'm just afraid you all will get hurt!"

Bobby glanced up to Alder and saw the teen was looking at Kat with deep sadness on his face. It was clear the two had become friends. He looked over to Loor and Saangi. They were both staring at the ground, trying to process the information Kat had just released to them. Loor nodded to Pendragon to tell him the matter was in his hands.

"You won't have to worry about us getting hurt, Kat," Bobby told her. "We've been in this business for a few years. We've actually been looking for you for a full year now. And it is fine you didn't tell us. All of the Travelers have suffered emotionally over the years, some as bad as yours while others not so much. I lost my whole family. Loor and Saangi lost their mother. Alder lost his brother."

Bobby paused as he let the words sink into Kat's brain. He smiled warmly at her and said openly, "We are like one big, dysfunctional family. How 'bout you join us?"

Kat looked up at Bobby with confusion on her face. She had told him of the trouble she would cause him and his team, and yet he still wanted her to become apart of them. She just didn't understand why he would put all his team in danger. Maybe they were in the same boat as her.

But the girl decided to trust the other teen as she smiled at him. She suddenly wrapped her arms around him and hugged him while sobbing happily. At first Bobby didn't know what to do and was too surprised to react. He then finally hugged her back with an awkward look on his face. He noticed the others smiling slightly at him.

"You okay, now?" he asked her as she pulled away.

"Besides feeling like an idiot because of what a sobbing mess I am, I'm fine," she answered. She wiped away her tears with the back of her hand and gave a small sigh. She had finally found people who didn't care how weird she was. She had found her new life, and she was ready to start over.

A/N: I like reviews!


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